This is HRH’s first trip to Blackburn’s KGH, a venue which has not exactly been a regular stopping off point for HRH-friendly acts over the years. I’ve lived most of my forty years on this planet living (and working) in close vicinity to Blackburn but this is probably only the third or fourth genuine rock concert I’ve ever encountered here. The last was when Dream Theater filled the main hall last October. I also remember seeing the Black Crowes in the same room in 1991 (they were truly awful) but other than that there’s only really Stiff Little Fingers that have ever set the pulses racing in this part of East Lancashire in my memory banks. 

The main hall is a lovely room which probably holds a couple of thousand whereas the Windsor Suite is much smaller and I’d imagine has a capacity of about four or five hundred and when and when it is full it’s a sweaty old-fashioned cramped little venue. Almost unbelievably when HRH enters the room it is noticeable that there are a vast amount of (empty) tables scattered around the place and about forty or fifty chairs waiting to be filled. WTF? The last time I saw the Windsor Suite like this was for a Rich Hall gig - very much not what I was expecting for Fish/ Glyder. Hey ho, let us see what transpires. 

Let’s see if we’ve got our Glyder book of clichés with us shall we? They’re Oirish – check. They play a Thin Lizzy style classic rock – check. Phil Lynott’s mother has endorsed them – check. OK, we’re in business then. They are also very good and use their quite generous amount of stage time (for a support act) wisely. Quite simply Glyder unleashed a polished set that should have garnered a few new fans as the venue filled up nicely as the evening wore on. 

Led by vocalist/bassist Tony Cullen, Glyder come across as highly personable and possess a good number of their own songs which, in some ways hark back to the aforementioned Thin Lizzy but also a number of other classic rock acts but the band at least manage to put a 21st Century spin on things and don’t merely repackage the past. Nowhere is this more evident than on Pretty Useless People which, “is about reality TV.” Puppet Queen and Stargazer also stand out in their set and Cullen implores the audience to buy their CD’s as, “it’s the only was to keep a band like us on the road.” Glyder are a young band that it would be well worth investigating especially if you like that classic twin guitar sound which Bat Kinane and Pete Fisher excel at. 

As good as Glyder were, one thing they didn’t do was to drag the audience up onto the floor in front of the stage. However, as soon as they departed the Fish faithful gathered and waited for their hero. Fortunately, they didn’t have very long to wait and at almost bang on half past eight the man himself and his backing quintet ambled on stage and mockingly, yet accurately, Fish noted, “There’s not fucking much in Blackburn on a fucking Sunday night is there? We could have pizzas, kebabs... hamburgers... all from the same fucking shop!” When one wag told him there was a McDonald’s, his disgusted look said it all. 

From there on in, for the next two hours Fish and his crew royally entertained a near full crowd both with high quality material from his solo career and from some other band that you may have heard of. Some of the songs were almost flawless and almost CD quality sound especially Openwater which proves that even now the big man still has his mojo working. 

The highlights of the evening were Cliché in which guitarist Frank Usher (thankfully in good health now) excelled and Warm Wet Circles with full audience participation. Perhaps the best thing about watching Fish (apart from the humorous asides – apparently Scotland were shit at rugby this weekend – but, “You were shittier!) is the way in which he lives the songs, not unlike Bob Catley in many ways especially in the hand gesture department. 

During the encores Fish wore a Save Planet Rock T shirt and delivered a wholly surreal Incommunicado complete with bizarre dance before The Last Straw which saw the band return after quite a few people had left and then had to promptly return! Both band and audience appeared to have a fun evening and there really isn’t any excuse for not checking out this tour if it comes anywhere near your town.

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